The Forensic Centre is a healthy bond between the police and judicial authorities, while support to the Forensic Centre means support to both the police and judiciary in combatting criminal activities and for the benefit of all citizens. This was one of the messages sent at the opening of the Eighth Regional Meeting of Forensic Centres, organized with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro on 12 and 13 October in Budva.
Over the two days of the conference, around 20 representatives - heads and chiefs of the forensic centres of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia, along with participants from Slovakia and Turkey, discuss, among others, current status of the crime scene investigation, impact on forensic analyses results and future developments, evidence storage, legislative and safety issues as well as points of interest for future co-operation.
In her opening remarks, Dominique Waag, Head of Mission, stated that the OSCE in Montenegro is strongly committed to supporting the fight against serious organized crime, in particular through intelligence-led-policing. "Regional co-operation is crucial, as evolving organized crime is transnational. Forensic investigations play an core role in criminal justice systems' response to the most serious threats to public safety and security. This is why in Montenegro, the OSCE Mission is a long-standing partner and active supporter of the Forensic Centre for more than a decade. The Centre features best international practices in forensic science, as evidenced by its membership in the European Association of Forensic Science Institutions and international accreditation of its laboratories," said Ambassador Waag.
Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia in Montenegro, Zećir Ramčilović, whose country presides over the OSCE in 2023, stated that Montenegro and the countries of the region have had a strong role in the OSCE. "I sincerely believe that with the exchange of the most relevant experiences and good practices, as well as initiatives and ideas for co-operation, this conference will have a strong impact on the more efficient and better work of forensic centres, so that they are ready to help in police investigations and the judicial system," said Ambassador Ramčilović, adding that the services offered by forensic laboratories are crucial in all judicial and prosecutorial proceedings, from which people ultimately benefit the most. "As our presidency motto says - It's about people," said Ambassador Ramčilović.
Sandra Kovačević, director of the Forensic Centre of Montenegro, said that the OSCE Mission has had the understanding for all the sensitive points in Montenegro in order to help the entire society. "It has recognized the importance of the Forensic Centre, which is a healthy bond between the police and judicial authorities. We are very grateful to the OSCE Mission, which has recognized our need to follow the technology developments, to improve expertise and organize this kind of events that allow us to exchange experiences and plan future co-operation and mutual assistance in various fields," said director Kovačević.
The Mission continues to support Montenegrin authorities in fighting organized and serious crime, which includes the support to the forensic expertise development, to contribute effectively to this goal.
